Russia’s Foreign Ministry reacts to USA’s missile deal with Poland

The establishment of the third missile deployment area of the US missile defense system in Europe with a real anti-Russian potential triggers another arms race in and outside the continent, spokespeople for Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said in connection with the signing of the missile deal between Poland and the USA.

“USA’s attempts to change the strategic balance of forces for its own benefit and put obstacles on the way of stability and predictability in world affairs have been getting more expressive and specific,” a statement from Russia’s Foreign Ministry said.

Russian diplomats believe that the third missile deployment area is only one of the links in the highly dangerous cluster of US defense projects, stipulating the single-handed development of the global missile defense system, the neglect of restrictions of the START Treaty, the implementation of the immediate global strike concept and the development of military projects in space.

“By definition, the missile group in Poland may have nothing in common with the imaginary Iranian threat. Iran, which the USA persistently intimidates Europe with, has neither a motivation, nor a technological possibility to threaten Europe with a missile attack,” the ministry said.

“We have been repeatedly told that the American anti-missile developments were not aimed against Russia. The US side promised us to coordinate measures of transparency and trust which would ease Russia’s concerns. This is exactly how Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice represented the matter at a recent press conference in Tbilisi.

“In reality, the USA does not intend to undertake any commitments that would have a practical sense for us. US officials simply took their words back.

“Nevertheless, we do not intend to end the dialogue. We are ready to continue working on the subject with all the parties concerned. However, simplified confidence is out of the question now. We will not be paying any attention to deceitful declarations of intentions and promises, and will only take account of legally signed international agreements,

“Strengthening the security of several states by means of causing deliberate damage to the security of other states will not work. Strategic stability and the international security system can only be built on a mutually equal basis.

“The deployment of the third missile area in Europe with a real anti-Russian potential will not strengthen the security of the continent. Such actions entail distrust and push towards another arms race both inside and outside the continent. But this is not Russia’s choice.

“Moscow paid attention to statements from Polish officials who said that the recent events in the Caucasus accelerated the missile talks.

“Forming our attitude to the US missile defense plans in Europe, we obviously cannot but take account of the fact that Washington has been arming Georgia during the recent several years, claiming that those steps were not aimed against Russia. Now that thousands of people in South Ossetia and Russia have died or suffered as a result of thoughtless actions of the Georgian administration, the real price of such statements becomes even more evident,” the statement from the Foreign Affairs Ministry said.